It's an experience most of us have had -- you hear a noise in the backyard and you step outside to check it out. Imagine if what you discovered was an alligator in your swimming pool. That's what happened to a family in Florida.

Talk about a rude awakening! Sharon Bente got the shock of her life while investigating a loud noise at her Bradenton, Fla. home.

"Saw something that is not usually in the pool," Sharon said, "And it turned out to be an eight-foot alligator."

That's right. A big gator taking a dip in the family pool next to the floaty. But there was nothing fun about this pool crasher.

Sharon says her instincts kicked in and she immediately thought, "Can I get back to the door without it seeing me or realizing I'm bait."

Her husband, John Bente, says the gator tore his way through the screen, leaving a gaping hole in the enclosed patio.

The wriggling reptile enjoyed his freestyle swim until the couple called police

"And he was just swimming around in circles," said John. "He tried to get up here for a while. I think he was a little intimidated with everybody watching too."

Ultimately, it took a trained alligator trapper to remove the trespasser.

"It was quite an evening, quite an evening," John said.

It's an evening the couple hopes is a onetime run-in.

"I'm sure there's other alligators," John said. "I'm sure I'm gonna be sleeping with at least one eye open for a while."